Why Is Bushwalking Good For You

Bushwalking is something people do on a daily basis or try to do in their spare time. Why? There are plenty of reasons why bushwalking is good for you and why you should try and do it more often. From the physical benefits to the social aspects, it’s something you should really try to make time for.

Physical Health:
Walking is a great way to lose weight and a fun form of exercise! On average an adult should try to get in at least 30 minutes of exercise a day, so why not spend it outdoors rather than on a treadmill. It will help you remain more motivated and will offer you different views and encounters each time. If you are wanting to challenge yourself a little more, you could get into trail running or carry extra weight in your backpack to combine strength training with cardio. Bushwalking burns about 500 kilojoules in a 20-minute period, sometimes more or less depending on the difficulty of walk you carry out and the terrain. The more unbalanced the terrain, the harder your body needs to work to keep you balanced, in turn using more muscles as a result.

Why Is Bushwalking Good For You Physically

Mental Health:
Bushwalking is a great way to rejuvenate your soul or so they say. Walking in nature helps to clear your mind and helps you get back to the basics. Beyond Blue and other similar organisations are encouraging more people to get outdoors as studies have shown that bushwalking lowers levels of depression and anxiety! Something about being outdoors helps to relieve stress. Whether it be the fact that there is no phone signal most of the time or just away from all the noise, you come out of the walk feeling peaceful and rested despite the fact that you are exercising most of the time. A recent study conducted tested the difference between walking in an urban setting to a more natural one. The results showed those who walked through a more natural environment has lower levels of rumination and had also had reduced levels of neural activity in the prefrontal cortex which is generally associated with mental illness. Other studies have also shown it helps to reduce other mental health issues such as ADHD.  Some doctors are now even recommending for you to hit the outdoors!

Why Is Bushwalking Good For You

Social Aspects: 
Heading outdoors gives you the chance to meet many like-minded people. You can join walking groups if you are wanting to explore new places with new people or Instagram is a great spot to meet others. Just send some of your favourite nature photographers a message and they will more than likely love to take you out to their favourite spot and teach you a few tricks of the trade. The best part about walking is that you can be as social or anti-social as you like! Say hi to others as you pass by or stop and ask questions about the track ahead, these are all good ways to get a conversation started.

Entertainment: 
Nature is truly one of the greatest sources of entertainment. If walking isn’t exactly your form of “entertainment” the destinations at the end are what make it. If you love swimming, try and plan some walks with incredible ocean pools nearby or rivers. If you enjoy photography, waterfall walks are the perfect place for you to up-skill on those long exposures. You also can do a bit of whale or bird spotting depending on the walks! Take some friends on the walk with you and that’s all the entertainment that you need.

Financially Good: 
One of the best aspects of doing bushwalking is it’s free. That is of course, except for the national parks fee to enter in certain parks. Pack yourself a picnic or some snacks and water and you’ve got your whole weekend set! If you are keen on getting outdoors often, it might be more financially viable to purchase a parks pass to save you extra money in the long run!

These are just a few of the reason why bushwalking is good for you. With many more studies being conducted, we will be able to continually add to this list! Have anything else to add to: Why Is Bushwalking Good For You ? If so, leave it in the comments below and we can add it in!

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